Miles apart (Man × Man) ✔

7) a p p e a s e d

Miles took the umpteenth look of the latest version of the prints he had been working on, silently cursing himself for taking the project when he clearly didn't have the time or skills to finish it. It was one thing to wrap up an advertising project at work, but to wrap up an advertising project at work and take a large-scale freelance project on top of it was a whole nother thing.

The only plus side of Miles' neverending workload was that he didn't have time to rummage over the things Ash had said to him. Maybe it was even the reason he accepted the project in the first place: to get Ash and his opinions off his mind.

When Miles' phone started ringing, he didn't check who was calling. Hearing Ash's voice, he nearly dropped the phone. Miles had been planning on answering Ash's text at some point, but he hadn't thought Ash would actually care enough to call him. And then, somehow, Ash was on his way to Miles'.

If Miles had been any less exhausted, he would have gotten up from the couch and started clearing up. Frantically, even though it would have been unnecessary: Miles lacked many household skills, but untidiness wasn't something he struggled with. Sure, there was the evidence of his enormous workload shattered around the living room, but otherwise the loft house was spotless.

Miles could see Ash before he rang the doorbell from the big windows which gave a view to the courtyard. Usually Miles kept the curtains shut that late in the evening, but he had been too occupied to do so then. Ash left his bike to lean on one of the brick walls, looking around like he thought he couldn't possibly be in the right place. Then he walked to the front door and hesitated for a beat before ringing the doorbell.

When Miles saw his reflection from the window glass, he realized how ridiculous he looked with his ruffled hair and it certainly didn't help that he was wearing the oversized baby pink hoodie. But it was too late to back off, when Ash had already spotted him through the window.

"Hi, you." Miles ran a hand through his hair, trying to flatten it down, only managing to make it resemble a bird nest even more than before. Not that Ash cared, because his eyes were darting around, trying to take in every detail of Miles' home. He looked lost in an environment like that. "Come in."

Miles' phone rang and he gestured to Ash to go ahead into the living room. The caller was Miles' employer from the freelance project, who had a few things she wanted to fit in the poster.

"Hang on." Miles told her and walked into the living room, feeling Ash's gaze on him. He crouched down to scribble a few words on the corner of one of the prints. "Okay, yes, I can make that happen. Anything else?" He added a few more notes before the employer was satisfied and then ended the call.

"You really meant it when you said you're busy." Ash noted, genuinely surprised.

"Yup." Miles gathered some of the prints on the coffee table, giving Ash more space on the couch. Then he joked, although there was more truth in it than he cared for Ash to know: "I don't have enough self-respect to play it cool."

Ash let out a sound which could have been interpreted as laughter. Then he snatched one of the prints from the coffee table and studied it. Miles felt an urge to steal it back, but something about Ash's expression kept him from doing so.

"These are really good." Ash admitted.

"I don't know. I can't seem to get the colors right and the heading doesn't look right.." Miles muttered. Every time someone gave him a compliment, it was like the words bounced right back to where they came from. He only saw the defects and all the things he could have done better.

"I didn't realize you're such a perfectionist." Ash lifted an eyebrow.

"That's because I'm not." Miles shrugged. He didn't believe he worked hard enough to be a perfectionist. He wasn't perfectionist enough to be a perfectionist, which he refused to believe to have anything to do with perfectionism.

Miles had to finish a few more things before he could call it a day and Ash waited composedly.

The sight of his tattooed hands when he typed something in his phone stole Miles' focus once or twice, until he forced his gaze back to the screen. Then Miles was eyeing the dark root grow in Ash's fair hair and the way he furrowed his brows when he concentrated. The five o'clock shadow on his jaw. All the things Miles was not supposed to be staring at when he had work to do.

"Want something to drink? Or eat?" Miles' stomach growled as he pressed the laptop shut. It was too late to have dinner, but that didn't keep him from wanting one. Ash just shrugged, so Miles got up and took a look in the fridge. "I have.. Um. Basically, I've got nothing."

Ash pursed his lips, growing silent for a short while and then came up with an idea: "Pizza? But I'm paying this time."

Miles, who didn't want to repeat the fiasko from last time, nodded and slumped back on the couch, while opening his third can of energy drink of the day. When Ash thought he wasn't looking, he frowned and counted the bills in his wallet. It didn't take a genius to tell he was struggling with money as it was, but if he insisted on paying, it wasn't really any of Miles' business. 

Then, just to fill the awkward silence, Miles suggested watching a movie. Ash wasn't exactly an easy person to have a conversation with, but he seemed amused by Miles' continuous babble about 28 Days Later and how it was "the best zombie movie ever made". Then, when Miles had to stop to yawn, Ash finally opened his mouth. 

"You really like to talk." When he didn't smile and his voice didn't give up much, it was impossible to tell if he was impressed by Miles' talkativeness or scolding him. If he didn't like small talk, though, he probably didn't like Miles talking about idle things, so Miles opted to apologize. 

"Sorry, I know I talk too much."

"No, that's not what I meant." Ash shook his head. "I like it."

Miles took a slow gulp of his energy drink and swore to himself he wouldn't say what he was thinking out loud, only to blurt it out all the same: "As long as it's not about money?"

"Basically, yeah." Ash shrugged, resting his back against the backrest of the couch. Yet, he kept his posture open, not closing himself from the conversation. 

"You know.." Miles swallowed, averting his gaze. He didn't want Ash to hear the hurt in his voice, so he fought to keep his tone light. "I am entitled, and I'm not going to deny it, but you should recheck the meaning of the word spoiled. You've only seen the car I drive and the card I pay with, but you don't know the first thing about my life."

"I.." Ash began, but his voice trailed off when the doorbell rang for the pizza delivery. He got up to receive the order and paid before returning to the living room with a pizza box.

They shared a family sized pizza, with extra cheese and no meat, since Ash was vegetarian. The rich smell of the dough and melted cheese made Miles' mouth water and he wolfed down the first slice like he had never seen food before. 

Once they had finished the first movie, Miles insisted they'd watch 28 Weeks Later, and so they did. They only changed a word or two during the movies, but it was exactly what Miles had been missing: being alone together with someone he liked. He had missed that; the arm casually thrown around his shoulders, the comfort of nestling against someone.

No kissing, no making out, yet Miles found himself needing nothing more. He just wanted someone to be there with him, even if it was going to be over in the morning. Even if it meant nothing to Ash, even if this thing with Miles was with no strings attached for him.